Hidden Crown Halo Reviews Novels & Stories

He asks, raising a brow. “Safe and secure,” I assure him. “The crown is sitting in the inner vault.” Kellen had Tala’s crown specially commissioned. When having the crown designed, Kellen took diamonds from his Mother's & Grandmother's crowns and had them reset in Tala’s. In addition, he used a few family heirloom jewels. Most of them emeralds but one - the centerpiece of the crown, was a blood-red ruby.

“Here, it's a rose gold with a halo design—warm, modern, and rare.” My breath caught at the sheer luxury of the pieces. I couldn’t grasp all of the manager’s explanations until to the last one. “And this final pair… a pure solitaire cut. Simple in design, but unmatched in elegance. It allows the stone to speak for itself.” Alistair’s piercing eyes shot back at me, as if telling me to choose. I shifted uneasily in my seat, fingers twisting in my lap, and feeling utterly uncomfortable. “This isn’t necessary,” I whispered, turning to him.

he points to my brow, “you even wear the Crown of Shadows.” Looking more closely at my reflection, I find that along my brow in almost imperceptible fine lines is a swirl of iridescence that traces up my horns and is only visible when I turn my head just enough that the fine prismatic tracings flash. The swirls are ornate, forming a circlet of sorts. “What is this?” I demand as I look at yet another change I never wanted or asked for. “What did you do to me?”

She couldn’t see the Elder’s face beneath his hood, but she sensed a wave of approval coming off him. Nodding, he gestured for her to bow. Bending her knees, she held the curtsey. Goosebumps flushed her skin as he revealed a golden crown. It had six leaf prongs weaving upward, two at each side, one at the back, and one that would align perfectly with her forehead. The band was lined with diamonds and hecatolites that gave off a subtle glow.

"What? You really think you can produce the real ring?" "Of course," Haley replied with a confident smile. She then reached into her bag and pulled out a ring identical to the one Eason held, except this one shimmered with a brilliant, translucent glow under the light. The intricate, ancient crest on the ring was clear for all to see, exuding an air of authenticity and reverence. Gasps filled the room as people compared Haley’s ring to the one in Eason’s hand. The difference was stark, and the truth was clear.

“It’s beautiful.” Ellen smiled. “Yes, that was actually one of Amara’s favorites when she visited our Milan store last year. But if you prefer something more modern…” She turned to the next. “This one has a double halo setting—rose gold, more playful, very in vogue with our younger clientele.” “Playful,” Damon muttered under his breath. “Right.” Lena glanced at him. “You don’t like it?” He shrugged,nonchalant. “You can’t go wrong with the classics.”

My reflection nearly stops my heart. The silver hair frames my face like liquid moonlight. The beads glimmer delicately. My eyeballs are silver, glowing faintly like emeralds beneath water and resting above my head is a crown. A structure of crystalline diamonds arranged in delicate arcs, floating just slightly above my hairline. The crown sparkles softly, refracting light across the mirror. I lift my hand slowly toward it. The moment my fingers brush the air near it, the crown vanishes. I blink.

Damon drifts toward center ice and stops at the logo. I follow. For a moment, we stand where the game began. Where so much between us almost ended. “Funny,” he says. “All that fighting over who gets the crown.” “And?” He looks at me fully. “There was only ever one.” The words hang there. Not competitive. Not sharp. Certain. Only one crown. And it doesn’t belong to one king. The arena lights dim slightly as the crew prepares to clean up. I feel his hand brush mine. Not by accident.

I do just that, lifting the lid of the box to reveal the item sitting inside dark red velvet. I gasp at its beauty, the circlet is a whitish-grey colour that's twined with strong twigs and adorned with an onyx stone at the center. The opaque nature makes it look as though there's a million stars gathered in it. “Do you like it?” I don't know how long I've remained speechless, just staring down on it. “Mother… of course, I love it… so much.” I tell her earnestly. Picking it up, I replace the flower crown on my head and mother pushes a mirror into my hand.

I lifted my hand in front of my face. It's a halo diamond ring, with small diamonds surrounding the circle-cut center stone. The prongs were shaped like petals, and there were even more tiny diamonds in between each prong, and accent stones on the band itself. "It's…shiny," I said, and Caelum laughed. "Of all the adjectives you could use, you just chose to go with 'shiny?' I mean it is…but is that really all? Don't you like it?" "I do. I do love it. But it also intimidates me," I told him truthfully, bringing my hand down.